Phosphate in the world

The majority of phosphate is located in China and Morocco. South Africa, the United States and Jordan are also important phosphate producers. The United States has to import phosphate ore despite its considerable reserves. Ore from China is of a fairly low quality. Moreover, China protects its own reserves with export levies. This makes Morocco the most important producer. However, the ore is mainly obtained in the western Sahara. Morocco’s claims in this area are a subject of discussion . Political instability could threaten the mining operations. There is also the question of the degree to which it is socially responsible to extract phosphate ore from an area that is disputed up to UN level.